The Black Lake
by StoriesbyCedarWoods
Summary: A fanfic based on one of my favorite books  Primal Tears by Kelpie Wilson . To find out about the original plotline, read the book. In this story, Sage Shepard is sent on a dangerous mission, to save a child's life.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I am a big fan of the sic-fi/ romance novel, Primal Tears, by Kelpie Wilson. For those who have not read the story, I recommend it to anyone 15 years, or older.

The following is a story, based on the characters from the book.

The Black Lake

A Primal Tears fanfic

By Cedar Woods

Sage Shepard knew the importance of keeping one's environment healthy. She knew it was vital to always remember mother earth, and all the things that she gives us.

Now maybe this attitude was stemmed from the fact that Sage was a mutant (half animal herself), but she just thought it was the right way to live.

Now on this particular day (which according to the calendar was the second Wednesday of November) Sage was preparing to go on one of her nature walks with her boyfriend Carver.

Carver and her had been best friends since Sage was born and Carver was 3 years old. Their relationship had blossomed over the years, until now (as adults) they had cultivated a fully fledged sweetheart type of relationship.

This of course, wasn't to say that Sage had completely given up on her non-monogamous lifestyle, but it had settled down a bit.

Getting back to the nature walk, it's important to think with an open mind when Sage Shepard asks you to accompany her on a nature walk. Because Sage Shepard is a mixture of normal human female, and bonobo ape (read Primal Tears by Kelpie Wilson), her nature walks, aren't really walks.

Sage was ready to go. She had on her usual forest exploring attire, which was a jogging bra and biker shorts.

"Carver are you ready" she called out in her sweet voice (imagine Liv Tyler).

"Yeah Sage just let me grab something" Carver replied.

Carver ran to the apartment's little fridge, and took out a small ziplock. In it, were an assortment of chocolate covered bug larvae. Being part ape (well more ape than the average person) Sage loved this kind of thing.

It had been all Carver could do, to keep Sage from detecting the tiny delicacies, what with her heightened sense of smell and all.

"Carver come on" Sage practically whined.

Carver laughed. He took out a special scent-proof sack, and stuffed the yummy treats into the bottom if the lunchbox. Then he grabbed the lunchbox, and headed out the door.

Sage was already in the car. Carver smiled, as he thought about how lucky he was to have a girlfriend who was so close to nature.

'In more ways than one' he thought as he walked towards the car.

"Come on Carver" said Sage, in a voice that was more excited than annoyed. Carver laughed, as he placed the lunchbox in the back seat.

"Hold your horses" he said.

Carver got into the driver's seat, started the car, and they were off.

To be continued


	2. Chapter 2

The Black Lake

Chapter 2

Sage stroked the silky hair that covered her muscular arms, as the car drove towards the mountains she used to call home.

She had since moved back to the city, because Richard Martin said it would be in her fellow animals' best interest, if she could be their ambassador.

"After all" he had said "no one is closer to their fellow animals."

Sage's parents, Sarah and Kevin, despised Richard, and the hell he had put Sage through; but Sage had to admit he did have a point.

Finally they arrived at the bottom of the mountains. Sage and Carver got out of the car, and took a moment to stretch their legs, and to smell the beautiful fresh air.

"I'll never get tired of that smell" said Carver.

Sage sniffed the air. At first the scents of nature brought her nothing but joy.

Suddenly though, Sage's keen animal senses, were invaded by a smell that was most definitely not welcome.

"Carver I smell something bad" she said, with panic in her voice.

Carver immediately turned his full attention on his girlfriend.

"There's not a bad person here is there?" Carver asked, with concern in his voice.

"No. I... I don't know what it is?"

Sage looked at Carver with fear in her eyes. Carver put his hand on her shoulder.

"We've gotta go see what it is" he said.

"I know, let's go!"

Sage and Carver walked casually toward the forest as though nothing unusual was going on. They attracted a few stares from other people who were preparing to go on nature hikes of their own.

By that point though, Sage had learned to stop caring.

As soon as they were out of sight of the other people, Sage crouched down.

"Hop on!"

Carver got onto her piggyback style, and she crouched like a tiger preparing to pounce.

She jumped towards a redwood, grabbing onto a low hanging branch. Using it to propel herself upwards, she moved higher into the trees. To anyone else, she would seem like a girl version of Tarzan. To herself though, she seemed perfectly normal (because she had been doing this for mist of her life).

Carver held on tight, as Sage maneuvered with the reflexes of Spiderman through the trees. Her speed and agility were truly amazing.

She swung towards another branch. It was fifteen feet away from her, but she leapt towards it through the open air, 40 feet above the forest floor.

Carver was calm. He trusted Sage's animal instincts to get then safely to their destination.

Finally after about twenty minutes (it would have been at least an hour for a normal person), they arrived at the spot where the smell seemed to be coming from.

"Wow. I can smell it too" said Carver.

Sage put her hand to her head.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah I'm fine. It's just that smell is so overpowering to someone with an advanced sense of smell like me."

Carver took off his head-rag and wrapped it around Sage's face.

"Is that better?"

"Yeah thank you. Now let's go. I think it's coming from the lake."

Sage and Carver ran off to see what was happening.

To be continued


	3. Chapter 3

The Black Lake - Chapter 3

As they came over the crest of the hill, bringing the lake into view Sage and Carver could immediately see that there was something wrong.

The entire lake was filled, with some sort of horrible black substance.

"Heavens" exclaimed Carver.

Sage just stated in shock. She couldn't believe someone would molest her beautiful mountain getaway with... What was that stuff exactly?

"Come on, we've gotta go check it out" said Sage, as she started down the hill.

Carver grabbed her arm. "Sage honey I can't let you do that. You could get hurt."

Sage smiled. "While your concern is sweet, I assure you, I'll be careful."

Carver was about to protest further.

"Besides, considering that I'm about as strong as 3 of you put together, you don't really have a choice in the matter."

She gently but firmly, wrenched her arm out of his grasp, and continued down the hill.

Carver hesitated, then made up his mind. "Wait. I'm coming with you."

Sage took Carver's hand in hers, and flashed him her pretty smile. "Thank you."

"Well I couldn't let you have all the fun now could I?" Carver asked.

Sage giggled a little at Carver's good nature, but then put her mind back to business.

In fifteen minutes they were down to the lake. It took Sage a bit longer because she had short legs and their were no trees to swing from.

When they made it to the lake, they saw that the stuff in it, was in fact, not oil at all. Rather it appeared to be bubbling like boiling water.

Sage and Carver were horrified, to say the least.

"What is this stuff?" Sage asked.

"I don't know, but it smells horrid" said Carver, holding his nose against the smell.

Even with Carver's bandana around her face, Sage was still feeling lightheaded. This was a fact that did not go unnoticed by Carver.

"Sage, I don't know what this stuff is, but I really think we should stay back from it."

Sage agreed.

"Come on" said Carver, taking her hand.

They made it back to the car, and got in.

Sage suddenly felt the all too familiar hot feeling around her eyes. It was a total pain, feeling as if you wanted to cry, and not being able to. At times like this, she would usually scream, but she had learned to calm herself by breathing.

Carver smiled as he stroked her cheek. "Hey don't worry about it. We'll get someone down here to check it out."

Sage smiled half heartedly.

Carver put the car in drive, and they headed off. Along the way, they discussed weather to tell Richard.

"I don't think we should" said Carver as he turned the car left at a stoplight. "Hasn't he screwed you enough already."

Sage thought about it. "Richard is a good person. I think he just let's his white man power go to his head sometimes."

Carver scoffed.

"The fact" Sage continued, "that I've been told by everyone in my family, that Richard showed genuine concern for me when you all thought I was dead; shows that he is a good man."

Carver nodded his head. "I agree. However, we should still be cautious. Who knows how Martin will try to use whatever publicity comes from this, to his own agenda?"

"I understand" said Sage.

A few hours later, they had a team of forest rangers tagging along to see the strange black liquid.

The lead forest ranger, Amanda, asked Sage some questions.

"What was its consistency?"

"I don't know" said Carver.

"It looked all black like an oil spill, but it was boiling like water" said Sage.

Amanda looked shocked. She jotted down this information in her notebook, and shook her head in surprise.

"Anything else?" she asked.

"No" said Carver and Sage after looking at each other for a moment.

"Alright" said Amanda, closing her notebook.

"It's just over this hill" said Sage.

Suddenly though, she stopped cold. There ahead of them, was the last person she wanted to see.

To be continued


End file.
